


Out with the Wrong

by nightbirdrises



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 10:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4603494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightbirdrises/pseuds/nightbirdrises
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From <a href="http://princehummel.tumblr.com/post/125535173746">this au post</a>: “you’re the tattoo artist and i’m the client who needs a cover up of an old ex’s name”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out with the Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> The reference I used for Blaine's tattoo is linked in the end notes! I have no experience with tattooing/getting a tattoo so although I did use Google, there may be inaccuracies.

“Well, in essence, I should never be drunk and in love at the same time,” Blaine says when the person who greets him at the tattoo parlor, a man near his age with no tattoos that he can see except for a simple crown on the inside of his right wrist, hands him the paperwork. He takes it and begins filling it out as he shakes his head. “I don’t even know what to do about it.”

“I guarantee you, there’s almost always a way to cover up a tattoo. You just need the right artist to do it.” The man smiles and holds out his hand. “My name is Kurt.”

Blaine raises his eyebrows and shakes the offered hand. “Oh, I- no offense, I just didn’t peg you as the tattoo artist type.”

“Don’t worry about it; you’re not the only one,” Kurt says, leading Blaine back to a private room with a chair that reminds him of his dentist and a bench that reminds him of his doctor, although both seem much more comfortable. At a brief look around, it appears to be like an office space for Kurt - various playbills and similar memorabilia abound, as well as whimsical art pieces and books of designs. It’s all very organized and pleasing to the eye. “People tend to assume that we’re all required to have tattoos that cover our bodies.”

“So you only have the one?” Blaine asks, indicating Kurt’s wrist. With a smile, Kurt shakes his head.

“No. But let’s get back to  _your_  tattoo, hm?” Blushing furiously, Blaine nods and begins to pull his shirt off. “It’s on your back, you said?”

“Yeah, near the right shoulder,” he mutters, turning so Kurt can see. All too clearly, he can remember the way it looks. The name, Cameron, written in twisting script and black ink. With a heart next to it.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kurt says, gently touching his shoulder and back as he leans to get a closer look.

“It’s fine, I’m pretty much over it–”

“I mean the tattoo. Of all the names to be written in script… at least it’s small.”

“Yes, well, can you fix it?” Blaine asks, uncertain. He turns his head and catches Kurt looking at the tattoo thoughtfully. “Or am I going to have to cave in and try to get it removed?”

“I have a few ideas. Why don’t you get comfortable?” Kurt says, reclining the chair so that when Blaine sits backwards on it, he can lean forward with his cheek on the cushioned head rest. He watches as Kurt brings a stool up to his side and gets to cleaning and preparing the skin. “How did it happen?”

“The tattoo?”

“No, the break-up. I can guess how the tattoo happened,” Kurt says. “A night out with the person you’re certain is the one, a few drinks, a tattoo parlor down the street from the club. Am I close?”

“Very,” Blaine says, sheepish. “Um, well, we actually got so far as to get engaged, but he sat me down one day to tell me the truth.”

“What’s that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“That I loved him more than he loved me. To be fair, I probably should have known the night I got the tattoo. He didn’t get one.” He lets out a short huff of a laugh. “I say I’m mostly over it, but I still sort of feel like I’m lost.”

Kurt’s hand pauses on his back. “Lost how?”

“I don’t know… like I’m floating, I guess. No direction.” Inexplicably, Kurt smiles; Blaine frowns slightly in response. “What?”

“I think I know how to cover this up. Do you want me to show you?”

Blaine thinks on it, looking across the room at a board of what must be sketches drawn by Kurt. Silhouettes, neat lines and abstract chaos, music notes and flowers. And then Kurt himself, kind eyes and sweet smile. “I think I’ll go in blind.”

“You’re a trusting sort of person, aren’t you?” Kurt says teasingly as he moves away to sketch something out.

“I am, but I’m also under the impression that literally anything you do will be better than having the name of my ex on my back forever.”

“Well, thank you. I’ll try to do that impression justice. What I have in mind might be a bit big, though.”

“Go for it. I mean it - anything.”

“Anything is a dangerous word,” Kurt says, turning to look over his shoulder at him. Blaine smiles, hoping to show that he’s confident about his decision. 

“I guess I’m feeling courageous today.”

“I suppose as long as it’s not liquid courage, I’ll accept that.” Blaine watches as Kurt turns back to his sketch, concentration clear in the set of his jaw and a slight furrow of his brows. He waits - it’s surprisingly easy to be patient when watching such an intriguing person - until Kurt, pleased with his design, brings it over without revealing it. “This is your last chance to back out.”

“Bring it on,” Blaine says, eyeing the machine, now fitted with a tube and clean, new needles. Kurt gently pats his back with a gloved hand, a strangely comforting gesture that Blaine suspects is subconscious, and the process begins.

He doesn’t remember much of how it felt to get the original tattoo, as lovestruck and numbed by alcohol as he’d been; he takes in a sharp breath at the pain, which reminds him of the time he’d been napping on a friend’s couch only to be woken by her cat jumping off of his back, leaving angry red scratches. Blaine screws his face up against the burn, determined to tough it out. But it isn’t long before it subsides to an ache, no less painful besides as a result of growing accustomed to it. 

Kurt doesn’t speak, lost in his art, which Blaine can feel creeping up to the back of his neck and stretching out towards his shoulder. He can’t even begin to guess what it might be, which only makes him giddily anxious to find out. Although, of course, Kurt could probably tattoo the entirety of the Declaration of Independence on his back and he’d love him.  _It_. The tattoo.

“Almost there,” Kurt mutters, possibly to himself. “Beautiful.”

“It looks good?” Blaine asks, peering over his shoulder as much as he can without shifting his back. For some reason, Kurt’s cheeks are pink.

“Oh, yeah. The tattoo, it, it looks good. That’s what I was talking about.” The room falls quiet again for a few minutes as Kurt cleans up the tattoo and presses a hot, damp cloth to it. “Do you mind if I take a picture to add to my gallery?”

“Of course not, go ahead.”

“I’ll show you, too.” Kurt moves away for his phone and Blaine can’t help but feel strange not having his hands on his body. Moments later, Kurt’s tapping his shoulder, offering the phone to him. “Here.”

Blaine takes it and looks at the picture; upon first glance, he can hardly believe it’s his own skin. A raven in flight, its body and wing transformed into the sturdy branches of a tree using negative space, soars towards his right shoulder. Where the name used to be is now a black raven’s wing. “This is…”

“Okay?” Kurt moves around to where Blaine can see him, his eyes searching Blaine’s face.

“More than okay. Kurt, this is  _amazing_. I would never have thought of this, and I definitely couldn’t have just… drawn it up, just like that.”

“Birds are one of my favorite symbols,” Kurt says with a small shrug, though a pleased smile gives away his relief at Blaine’s approval. “Freedom, independence, music, all of that. But… it sounded like you need a foundation, too. Something to keep you grounded.”

“So, a tree.”

Kurt nods. “I thought of an anchor first, but I figured it’s important that the tree symbols growth as much as steadiness. Besides, an anchor and a bird don’t go nearly as well together.”

“Makes sense. Not many deep-sea birds exist.”

Kurt laughs, returning to Blaine’s back to apply ointment and a bandage to the tattoo. “I didn’t realize I was providing this service to an ornithologist. Oh, it’s getting warm in here, isn’t it? Or is it just me?”

“Just you,” Blaine says before he can bite it back. Thankfully, Kurt doesn’t interpret it the way he meant it.

“I guess you’ve had your shirt off all this time. That sounds like a good idea, actually.”

Blaine raises his eyebrows at the wall he’s been staring at. “Where do you think you’re going with this, Mr., uh–”

“Hummel. And I’m not  _stripping_ , thank you very much,” Kurt huffs. “You can turn around, put your shirt back on if you’d like. I’m going to get you the aftercare instructions.” When Blaine disentangles himself from the chair, he finds that Kurt has left the room. He gingerly puts his shirt back on, his movement restricted by the bandage, and waits.

Kurt returns with a small bag, peering inside it, but what distracts Blaine is the fact that he’s now down to a plain black tank top, which shows off two half sleeves of tattoos that had been covered up by the shirt Kurt had been wearing before. His left arm would be tattooed with thin black bands, if not for the notes and vertical lines that turn them into bars of music. His right is made up of bird and feather silhouettes and outlines with just enough empty space between them to clearly discern each individual shape. 

“You  _do_  have other tattoos,” Blaine says, staring. Kurt looks up at him, confused for a moment, then smiles. “I mean, I believed you, I just didn’t think…”

“Did you think I was implying they were in more private locations?” Kurt asks, his grin taking a more mischievous turn. Blaine stammers, unable to explain himself. “I’m just messing with you, you know.”

“Oh, good,” Blaine says, his words returning to him. “I don’t want to offend you. Especially not after you’ve done such an awesome cover-up job for me. That, the explanation you gave me, it’s all perfect.”

“Perfect is a strong–”

“Hey, trust me, I mean every word I say. It’s perfect.” Their eyes meet, Kurt’s wide with… curiosity, maybe. Intrigue. He clears his throat and the moment passes.

“Okay, I put some ointment and a pamphlet on how to take care of your tattoo in here, if you have any questions you can always call the number on the back of the pamphlet.”

“I have a question now.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is it alright if I get a picture of my tattoo to share?”

Kurt pauses. “Oh, no. I completely forgot to ask if you wanted one, I’m sorry, I only have the one on my phone. I could send it to you if you’re okay with giving me your number.”

“I’m pretty okay with it,” Blaine says, fighting to keep eye contact and not duck his head in embarrassment. “Considering that’s the reason I asked, uh, I’d say I’m very okay with it.”

“Oh.” Blaine braces himself as Kurt blinks, surprised. He waits to be told that there’s already a partner in the picture and they’ve been together for a million years and, actually, they just got married. Or that he’s sweet but Kurt’s just not interested in  _that_ , this is a purely professional interaction despite all the ways it doesn’t feel like it. “I have to admit, I haven’t heard that one before.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be so weird, getting the tattoo probably gave me an adrenaline rush that just–”

“Weird?” Kurt says, shaking his head. “No. Just unexpected. Believe me, I’m feeling very… not weirded out at all.” He smiles, a good sign. “The only thing is, I know you’ve had a recent break-up.”

Blaine deflates slightly. “Oh. Right.” He would argue that the last thing he has in mind is using Kurt as a rebound, but given the circumstances, that’s exactly what it seems like. Oddly enough, Kurt’s still smiling.

“Don’t look so down. I still want to exchange numbers.” Blaine perks up a little, watching and wondering. “But… maybe we should start slow. Friends first. I get the feeling we’ll get along well as friends, anyway.”

Blaine nods, a grin returning to his lips. “And later?”

“We can date, if we’re both still interested and you’re feeling a little less lost. What do you say?”

_I say I feel less lost already_ , Blaine thinks. “I say let’s do it, Kurt Hummel.”

As it turns out, friends become best friends in a matter of weeks. A year and a half later, after a new apartment and a rescue kitten and plenty of  _are you sure_ ’s and emphatic  _yes, I’m sure_ ’s, Blaine finally gets his second tattoo: a small crown on the inside of his left wrist. He has never regretted anything less.

**Author's Note:**

> [Here's the reference for the tattoo](http://blog-cdn.tattoodo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Raven.jpg?09b2aa)


End file.
